Current Affairs Update – 24-27 February, 2017

Hello and welcome to exampundit. Here are the important Current Affairs from 24 to 27 February, 2017. These are important for the upcoming SBI PO Mains, NIACL Assistant and NICL AO 2017 Exams.

Current Affairs at a Glance – 24-27 February, 2017 – Click/Tap to show

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) on Monday announced that it was
working with Tata Communications to
support the rollout of India’s first LoRaWAN
(LoRa)-based network.

After seeing an unmatchable
success with its mobile wallet, Paytm is now expanding its reach in the
e-commerce segment. While the Paytm app itself offered a bunch of booking,
buying and renting facilities, the company has now launched a dedicated app and
website, Paytm Mall, for the online
marketplace business. Presently, the app is only available on Android, but is
expected to be launched on iOS soon.

India and Asian Development
Bank (ADB) on 24 February 2017 signed
USD 375 million loan agreement to develop 800 km long Visakhapatnam-Chennai
Industrial Corridor.

Kolkata-based United Bank of India (UBI) has launched a
railway ticket booking facility by having a direct tie-up IRCTC.

India and Bangladesh on
24 February 2017 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide financial assistance to Bangladesh for
sustainable development of Sylhet, a north-eastern Bangladeshi city.

Chief minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan inaugurated country’s first post office passport service centre in
Vidisha, on Saturday. He said that the centre will complete scrutiny
and approval of passport applications in a day and provide passport to
applicants in three days.

Senior diplomat Gopal Baglay was today appointed
Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry succeeding Vikas Swarup,
who was made India’s new High Commissioner to Canada.

The 89th Academy Awards,
popularly called Oscar Awards, were conferred on 26 February 2017 (27 February
2017 as per Indian time). Movie La La Land received the most nominations
with a record-tying fourteen. Best Picture was awarded to Moonlight.

The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) plans to send its first robotic spacecraft to the
Sun in 2018.

FORPHEUS, the world’s first robot table tennis tutor has created a
new Guinness World Record with its extraordinary technological intelligence and
educational capabilities.

The Central Board of Excise and
Customs (CBEC) on 24 February 2017 celebrated the Central Excise Day across the
country.

Financial and Banking News:

HPE, Tata Communications to build largest IoT network in India

At the ongoing Mobile World
Congress here, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) on Monday announced that it was
working with Tata Communications to support the rollout of India’s first
LoRaWAN (LoRa)-based network.

It is part of Tata
Communications’ strategy of creating mobile platforms and ecosystems that
enable its customers and partners to connect people and Internet of Things
(IoT)-connected devices on a global scale.

The first phase of the roll-out
targets Tier 1, 2, 3 and 4 cities in India, touching over 400 million people.

With successful field trials in
Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, there are also 35 proof-of-concept applications in
trial on the network.

Paytm launches new e-commerce platform ‘Paytm Mall’

After seeing an unmatchable
success with its mobile wallet, Paytm is now expanding its reach in the
e-commerce segment. While the Paytm app itself offered a bunch of booking,
buying and renting facilities, the company has now launched a dedicated app and
website, Paytm Mall, for the online marketplace business. Presently, the app is
only available on Android, but is expected to be launched on iOS soon.

Paytm Mall has over 1.4 million
sellers on board for the platform, across categories like fashion, electronics,
consumer durables and home furnishings among others. Also, reassuring quality
standards, Paytm claims that only trusted sellers passing strict quality
guidelines and qualification criteria will be allowed on the ‘Mall’. All
products listed on the mall will also go through Paytm certified warehouse and
shipping channels ensuring guaranteed consumer trust.

India and Asian Development Bank
(ADB) on 24 February 2017 signed USD 375 million loan agreement to develop 800
km long Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor.

This 800 km long
Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor is the first phase of a planned 2500
km East Coast Economic Corridor. Earlier in September 2016, ADB approved USD
631 million loan for the industrial corridor.

Moreover, ADB also signed USD 5
million loan agreement under the Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund
that is managed by ADB to build climate change resilient infrastructure.

Highlights of the agreement

The loan comprises a total of USD
500 million multitranche facility to build key infrastructure in the four main
centres along the corridor including Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Amaravati, and
Srikalahasti (Yerpedu) in Andhra Pradesh.

The first tranche of USD 245
million will finance subprojects to develop high-quality internal
infrastructure in two corridors- Visakhapatnam and Srikalahasti.

It also encompasses USD 125
million policy based loan that will be used for capacity development of
institutions engaged in corridor management.

It will also provide support to
enhance ease of doing business and for supporting industrial and sector policies
to stimulate industrial development.

Sixty Four Indian exporters take part in Gulfood 2017

The world’s largest annual food
event, Gulfood 2017 was officially inaugurated by the Deputy Ruler of Dubai and
UAE Minister of Finance, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the Dubai World
Trade Centre (DWTC) on 26 February 2017.

The five-day exhibition, which
will continue till 2 March 2017, is expected to witness participation from over
90,000 food professionals from 150 countries across the world.

Key Highlights

Among the exhibitors are 64
Indian exporters dealing in a range of Agriculture and Processed Food products.

The exporters are participating
under the banner of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export
Development Authority (APEDA).

The organisation falls under the
Indian Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

The APEDA pavilion was
inaugurated by Commerce Secretary, Rita Teaotia.

APEDA is responsible for the
promotion and development of the export of various Agricultural products.

UBI ties up with IRCTC to launch railway booking facility

Kolkata-based United Bank of
India (UBI) has launched a railway ticket booking facility by having a direct
tie-up IRCTC.

The facility was launched on
February 21.

Post the introduction of this
facility, UBI customers can now book railway tickets seamlessly through IRCTC
website using the bank’s debit card, it said in a release.

India to provide financial assistance to Bangladesh for development of
Sylhet city

India and Bangladesh on 24
February 2017 signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide financial
assistance to Bangladesh for sustainable development of Sylhet, a north-eastern
Bangladeshi city.

Under the MoU three development
projects will be taken up in Sylhet. These projects will be developed at an
expense of around Taka 240 million.

Projects for which financial aid
will be provided under the tripartite agreement are

India will provide financial aid
for construction of a five-storey Kinder Garten and High School Building

Financial aid will be provided
for construction of a six-storey cleaner colony building

Financial aid will be provided
for some development work in Dhupa Dighirpar area

Non-financial news related to India and States:

Vidisha gets India’s first post office passport centre

Chief minister Shivraj Singh
Chouhan inaugurated country’s first post office passport service centre in
Vidisha, on Saturday. He said that the centre will complete scrutiny and
approval of passport applications in a day and provide passport to applicants in
three days.

Speaking on the occasion, he said
that after 38 years, the state is getting passport service centres in Indore
and Vidisha. To recall, the then external affairs minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
had inaugurated the regional passport office in Bhopal, on October 17, 1978.

Chouhan, Lok Sabha Speaker
Sumitra Mahajan and minister of state for external affairs General V K Singh
had inaugurated the PSLK in Indore, which is second in state and 90th in India.
It will function as an extended arm of the Bhopal office. Officials said that
applicants from Raisen, Guna, Ashok Nagar, Sagar and Damoh districts will be
facilitated at PSLK in Vidisha.

Initially, 100 appointments will
be released per day and the numbers will be increased gradually as per need,
they said.

Minister of state (Independent)
for horticulture Surya Prakash Meena and MP from Sagar Laxminarayan Yadav were
also present at the function in Vidisha.

The programme involves creation
and management of a telemedicines platform to treat ST-Elevation Myocardial
Infarction (STEMI), a very serious type of heart attack.

The telemedicines platform will
help capture and transmit patient’s EKG along with clinical history from remote
geographical locations to the heart command center (HCC) hub, where a team of
expert cardiologists will provide an immediate interpretation of the EKG and
real time STEMI guidance and management through tele-consultation after
instantly recognising the EKG abnormalities.

PM Modi unveils 112 ft bust of ‘Adiyogi’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
24 February 2017 unveiled the 112-foot bust of ‘Adiyogi’ or Lord Shiva at the
Isha Yoga Center in Coimbatore. The statue is located in the foothills of
Velliangiri Mountains in the Western Ghats.

Interesting fact: The bust was
unveiled on the occasion of the Maha Shivaratri, a Hindu festival celebrated
annually in honour of the god Shiva.

The bust of the Adiyogi was built
in eight months by an NGO Isha Foundation. The foundation said the iconic
112-ft face of the first yogi was consecrated in celebration of the 112 methods
that Lord Shiva offered towards self-transformation.

Union Ministry of Urban
Development on 23 February 2017 approved the development of 6-kilometer-long
Bet Dwarka Darshan Circuit in Gujarat. The circuit will be developed at an
expense of Rs 16.27 crore under the Central Scheme ‘Heritage City Development
and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY)’.

The Bet Dwarka Darshan Circuit
that connects the famous Dwarkadish Haveli and Hanuman Dandi was approved by
the HRIDAY National Empowered Committee chaired by Rajiv Gauba, Secretary (UD).
Hanuman Dandi is the only temple housing Hanumanji and his son Makardhwaj, in
Dwarka district of Gujarat.

Launched on 21 January 2015, the
National Heritage Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) seek to preserve
and rejuvenate the rich cultural heritage of the country. It was launched by
the Union Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu.

Appointments:

Gopal Baglay appointed MEA Spokesperson

Senior diplomat Gopal Baglay was
today appointed Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry succeeding Vikas
Swarup, who was made India’s new High Commissioner to Canada. A 1992-batch
officer of Indian Foreign Service, Baglay was handling the sensitive PAI
(Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) division in the ministry till now.

Apart from Spokesperson, his designation
would also be Joint Secretary External Publicity (XP).

Baglay has held many key
positions including Director, XP, Director PAI and Indian Deputy High
Commissioner to Pakistan. Mittal, who joined the IFS in 1998, has since served
in Bangladesh, Egypt and Israel in various capacities and as Consul General in
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. His last position was as Joint Secretary in CPV
(Consular, Passport and Visa) division.

Awards & Honors:

Oscar Awards 2017 conferred; La La Land won maximum awards

The 89th Academy Awards,
popularly called Oscar Awards, were conferred on 26 February 2017 (27 February
2017 as per Indian time). The award ceremony was held at the Dolby Theatre in
Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Comedian Jimmy Kimmel hosted the
awards ceremony.

The Oscar Awards for the year
2017 were presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)
in 24 categories.

The nominees for the 89th Oscar
Awards were announced on 24 January 2017, via global live stream from the
Academy. Movie La La Land received the most nominations with a record-tying
fourteen.

Best Picture: Moonlight

Best Actor: Casey Affleck for
Manchester by the Sea

Best Actress: Emma Stone for La
La Land

Best Director: Damien Chazelle
for La La Land

Best Supporting Actor: Mahershala
Ali for Moonlight

Best Foreign Language Film: The
Salesman (Iran) in Persian

World News:

NASA may send robotic spacecraft to Sun in 2018

The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) plans to send its first robotic spacecraft to the
Sun in 2018.

The Solar Probe Plus mission,
which is going to be NASA’s first to the Sun, is expected to get within six
million kilometres of the Sun to probe its atmosphere.The Sun is about 149
million kilometres from the Earth.

According to Eric Christian, a
NASA research scientist at the Goddard Space Flight Centre, though the
spacecraft would not be able to get to the surface of the Sun it would
definitely get close enough to answer three very important questions.

World’s first robot table tennis tutor sets new Guinness World record

FORPHEUS, the world’s first robot
table tennis tutor has created a new Guinness World Record with its
extraordinary technological intelligence and educational capabilities.

The Japanese technology has been
given the Guinness title for being able to play table tennis way better than
most humans.

FORPHEUS is short for Future
Omron Robotics Technology for Exploring Possibility of Harmonised automation
with Sinic Theoretics.

It has been developed by Omron
Corporation, a leading electronics company based in Kyoto, Japan.

According to its lead developer,
Taku Oya, the main aim behind the technology is to harmonise humans and robots
by teaching table tennis to human players.

The final, played in Marseille,
France, was Tsonga’s ninth victory in a row. He executed seven aces against
Pouille and managed to maintain his serve without a break.

John-John Dohmen, Naomi Van named best hockey players of 2016

FIH Hockey Stars Awards 2016 were
conferred on 23 February 2017 in Chandigarh. This was the first time in the
history of Hockey that the ceremony was held to honour the best players, rising
stars, goalkeepers, umpires and coaches.

Belgium captain John-John Dohmen
and Netherlands’ Naomi Van were named as male and female International Hockey
Federation’s (FIH) Player of the Year (2016) awards respectively.

The Olympic silver medallists
Dohmen and Naomi were handed these awards at a ceremony hosted in Chandigarh.

61 CAVALRY defeats Army Service Corps to win Army Polo Championship

61 CAVALRY on 24 February 2017
bagged the Army Polo Championship. In the finals played in New Delhi, 61 CAVALRY
defeated Army Service Corps.

The famous Army Polo Championship
that commenced on 31 January 2017 saw participation from Corps of Artillery,
Remount and Veterinary Corps and Armored Corps.

Army has dominated Equestrian
Sports for a long time producing a large number of Asian Games medalists, World
Cup players, Padam Shree and Arjuna awardees and is pursuing it as part of its
Mission Olympics programme. At the same time, the 61 CAVALRY regiment has a
polo playing tradition and has produced some of India’s best polo players.